Chapter 50

Ji Su only gave Ji Weiqiu a faint glance, and he cowered into silence—this was the prelude to a beating!

A cloth dampened with clean water wiped away the blood, revealing the somewhat gruesome wound beneath. Ji Weiqiu took one look and shamefully averted his gaze. Only the person who bore such a wound could understand the pain! It was just too painful! And the more he looked, the more it hurt!

Ji Su frowned as he looked at the wound. This hidden area, long unexposed to sunlight, was so pale it was almost startling. Yet, it was chafed raw, the skin broken and flesh exposed. The rolled-up trousers pressed against the edge of the wound, squeezing the area until all color had faded. He looked up at Ji Weiqiu and saw him turning his face away, not daring to look, which made him feel both annoyed and amused.

Wounded to this extent, yet he still wanted to enter the woods to hunt. He was so high-spirited when playing, but now he feels the pain? Too scared to look?

The boy was a bit awkward, perhaps a little embarrassed, but Ji Su paid it no mind. He pinned Ji Weiqiu down to sit on a tree trunk, took out a dagger, and Ji Weiqiu stared blankly for a moment. Before he could stop him, he heard Ji Su say, "Don't move."

With that, the dagger that could slice through iron like mud swiped lightly between his legs, and the fabric constricting his flesh split open, revealing the full extent of the wound. Although Ji Su was an emperor, his movements in treating the wound were exceptionally clean and efficient. He took another clean cloth to wipe the wound, then scooped out some Jade Dew Ointment and applied a thick layer over it before moving to the other side.

Ji Weiqiu shifted his legs uncomfortably, only to be met with a merciless slap on the leg from Ji Su, who also gave him a warning look. He instantly dared not move again. His gaze inadvertently fell on his own leg and saw a red blush spreading across the fair skin where he had been hit. He was so embarrassed he didn't know where to look, and could only stare up at the sky.

He would rather have any random guard apply the medicine for him.

This is killing me.

This is absolutely killing me.

The last time he had been this embarrassed was when he had just vaguely regained his memories and found a beautiful young maiden changing his diapers.

One of Ji Weiqiu's legs was shifted outwards, leaving him even more exposed. Long, powerful fingers stained with a jade-like gel gently smoothed over his skin. The initial application was a fiery sting, immediately followed by a cooling sensation that spread out. For some reason, Ji Weiqiu suddenly recalled the bulging blue veins on the back of Ji Su's hand when he drew his bow earlier. He subconsciously tried to close his legs, but unexpectedly, he failed to move them.

Ji Su pressed one hand on the back of his knee and looked up at him, the warning in his eyes unmistakable. "Still dare to cause trouble?"

Ji Weiqiu felt the tips of his ears burning. He said helplessly, "...Imperial Elder Brother, can you hurry up? Don't dawdle."

Ji Su was already almost done. Feeling that his good intentions were being fed to the wolves by this little beast, a flicker of displeasure rose in his heart. He was about to scold him, but then he saw that the boy's ears were bright red, the blush extending all the way down his neck, and he was averting his eyes, not daring to look at him. Only then did Ji Su realize the boy was shy.

What was there to be shy about? Was it something he hadn't seen before?

He chuckled, and casually smoothed the remaining ointment onto Ji Weiqiu's leg. Ji Weiqiu jolted as if shocked and retreated like he was fleeing, saying angrily, "Imperial Elder Brother!"

When he said 'don't dawdle', he meant it in a physical sense, telling Ji Su to stop touching him! Why was he still touching him! Didn't he know he had a preference for men?! Didn't he know something would happen if he kept touching him like that?!

A cloak was thrown at him, covering him completely. Ji Su took a package from a guard and tossed it into Ji Weiqiu's arms. "Change yourself."

With that, he went to one side to wash his hands.

The Jade Dew Ointment truly lived up to its name as a secret palace medicine; it was mostly dry in just that short time. Ji Weiqiu pinched his thigh hard, forcing down the sudden urge that had arisen, and managed to change into his pants with difficulty.

Ji Su glanced over and then turned to leave. Just before lifting the tent flap, he suddenly stopped and looked back. "Do you want me to find someone for you?"

Ji Weiqiu's face turned crimson. He said through gritted teeth, "Imperial Elder Brother!"

Ji Su smiled and turned to exit.

Ji Weiqiu wanted to clutch his head and cry—Help! How did Ji Su see that!

And even if he saw it, would it kill him not to say anything? Find someone for him? What for? To do it on the spot?! Huh?! What kind of major illness did he have? And taking a step back, with Ji Su and Zhou Ruhui sitting right outside, and a circle of guards with excellent hearing standing watch, he was supposed to find someone to have a go inside? Huh?!

When he pictured such a scene, the word 'sensual' didn't come to mind. He thought it should be called 'ecstasy'—the kind of ecstasy where he would physically take a rope and strangle himself to death!

Ji Weiqiu pinched his thigh again. This time he used too much force, so much that tears almost welled up in his eyes. He instantly lost the mood to think about embarrassment. He just wanted to wring his own hand off. Why did he have to pinch so hard?!

At any rate, he had changed his clothes. When he came out of the tent and saw that everyone's expression was normal, Ji Weiqiu felt much better, frantically telling himself to forget what had just happened. The guards were remarkably efficient; in just a short while, they had started a bonfire, boiled water, added some dried meat and rations, and served up a full bowl, which was handed to Ji Weiqiu.

Ji Weiqiu wasn't really in the mood to eat, but considering how late it was, there certainly wouldn't be time to have dinner at the hunting grounds before heading to Ganquan Villa. After all, the journey would take time. They would likely ride at a fast pace, and once at Ganquan Villa, they would probably just have a simple late-night snack, bathe, and sleep. Thinking this way, he realized he couldn't last that long, so he began to eat slowly.

Ji Su sat beside him, and with Zhou Ruhui there as well, the three of them were silent—Ji Weiqiu was in no mood, Zhou Ruhui was not one for words, and Ji Su didn't like to talk. It would be a miracle if they managed to strike up a conversation. Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but wonder if Zhou Ruhui had heard anything earlier, and he was too embarrassed to even look at him. Just then, he heard someone shout joyfully, "A fish—! I speared it! Such a big fish—!"

Everyone looked up at the sound and saw Zhang Er, with his trousers rolled up, hopping around in a knee-deep stream. A long stick in his hand was submerged in the water. Then, with a triumphant expression, he lifted the stick, only to see it pull a snake as thick as an arm out from under the water. Its patterns resembled dead leaves, a clear sign of a highly venomous snake.

The wooden stick was plunged squarely into the triangular snake head. Zhang Er let out a bloodcurdling scream, dropped the stick, and ran towards the bank. Annoyingly, two Qingxuan Guards were laughing heartily, praising him from the side, "Young Master Zhang Er has excellent aim!"

"Don't run, Young Master Zhang Er, this snake tastes great when roasted!"

Zhang Er hopped up and down on the bank. "How can there be such a dangerous venomous snake here! Weren't you guys keeping watch for me!"

A Qingxuan Guard stepped forward and picked up the wooden stick. Only then did Zhang Er notice that the snake's tail had been cut open at some point. He picked up another branch and prodded the snake's body. With a 'crack', the branch broke, having hit something. A Qingxuan Guard came forward and pulled a hidden weapon out from the snake's body, saying helplessly, "Young Master Zhang Er has impressive arm strength."

It was naturally difficult to spot venomous creatures under the stream, but that didn't mean they weren't paying attention. They all had sharp eyes. The moment they spotted the venomous creature, a Qingxuan Guard had used a hidden weapon to pin the snake to a rock at the bottom of the stream. Before he could even go and rescue Zhang Er, he saw him plunge a stick into the snake's head—well, now there was no chance of accidental injury.

It was just that Zhang Er's arm strength was so great that he had pulled both the hidden weapon and the snake out of the water together.

Ji Weiqiu muttered, "A fool has a fool's luck..."

A five-pace snake that thick, and Zhang Er had speared it thinking it was a fish. Impressive.

Ji Su and Zhou Ruhui both looked at him upon hearing this. Ji Weiqiu was about to say something when suddenly, Ji Su snatched a dagger from beside the bonfire and swung it at him. Before Ji Weiqiu could react, he was pushed to the ground. Something splattered across his face, and a black shadow leaped over his head. The Qingxuan Guards sprang into action, swarming forward. Ji Su helped Ji Weiqiu up with one hand, turning his head to the side to say, "Capture it alive."

The guards shouted in unison, and from somewhere, they produced several coils of rope, throwing them all at the black shadow. A roar erupted. Ji Weiqiu looked back and saw that ropes had already ensnared the black panther's four limbs and neck. Ji Weiqiu said, stunned, "Why is it here?"

Why was it back again?! Was it looking to die?

Ji Su said flatly, "Beasts like this are extremely vengeful. Since it failed to kill you earlier, it was bound to follow you and wait for you to be alone."

Zhou Ruhui nodded in agreement. "It must have slipped in from outside. They wouldn't raise fierce beasts in the woods of the hunting grounds."

It wasn't as if you could just pick any old mountain forest, put up a sign, and call it a royal hunting ground. Since it was a place for the amusement of princes and nobles, how could they raise fierce beasts here? Not to mention Ji Su and Ji Weiqiu, even if those young masters and misses were to hold a polo match here, could they have a tiger or a bear suddenly rush out halfway through and kill whoever it saw?

Those fierce beasts were specially tamed. They were only prepared and transported to the hunting grounds and released into the forest when they were needed. Ji Su's arrival today was sudden, so there was naturally no time to prepare such beasts. Besides, if there were really fierce beasts released, how could Ji Su leave Ji Weiqiu to rest alone in the hunting grounds?

Ji Weiqiu was stunned. So when Ji Su heard that he had encountered a black panther, he had told them to travel together? And staying here was a deliberate attempt to lure this panther out?

...And here he thought Ji Su was deliberately tormenting him, making him ride even though he knew he was injured.

In the space of a few words, the black panther had been tied up like a rice dumpling. Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but laugh at the sight—if you stuck a pole through the middle, you could carry it away, no different from a New Year's pig.

He had heard Ji Su say to capture it alive, so he turned and asked, "Imperial Elder Brother, what should we do with this panther?"

Ji Su said, "Send it to the Beast Garden to be raised."

Ji Weiqiu nodded. Seeing how majestic the panther was, he felt an itch and planned to go and mess with it. He hadn't taken two steps before Ji Su called him back. "Its wild nature is hard to tame. Do not approach."

"It's already tied up like this..." Ji Weiqiu's voice trailed off, and he finally decided to give up. The itch was only momentary; when he thought about how this panther could bite his head off, the itch wasn't so strong anymore.

Zhang Er, standing far away, didn't hear Ji Su say not to approach. Now that the panther was tied up securely, he naturally strode forward with a malevolent grin to pull its fur, making Ji Weiqiu curse inwardly—right! So he was the only one who wasn't allowed?!

When he got back, he was going to have a talk with Prime Minister Gu about the 'good deeds' his younger brother had been up to!

As he thought this, Ji Weiqiu suddenly remembered something. "This panther has cubs. We should have someone look for them."

Ji Su's expression didn't change. He raised a hand slightly, and someone went off to search. Ji Su glanced at the sky, and Zhou Ruhui said at the opportune moment, "It is getting late, Your Majesty."

"Let's head back."